Yes! There's definitely so much to be said for choosing to look approachable and "talk-to-able". Headphones have become visual shorthand for "don't interrupt me" - but what about shorthand for "hey, say hello!"? We need both. But I think, after these last few years of being wary or even afraid of strangers, we need to say hi more often.
(This is a really interesting topic. How can you help generate enough curiosity in a stranger that they make the effort to say hi? One trick I learned as a travel writer in new places: hold up a paper map in the middle of the street and look really confused. Bonus points awarded if you're obviously holding it the wrong way round. You will be virtually guaranteed to have someone approach you and offer to help, which is a great way to break the ice!)
As a dog-owner, I can attest that walking a dog makes one look quite approachable, unless they look very grumpy. Generally speaking, "doing" something outside that's more than just minding your business (exercise, photography, hiking in the woods) makes you more approachable as well. Studying your map falls into that category as well!
You made a nice firm snowball of this important thing that is... ruining us all.
I think about this a lot. How things are speeding up, and we humans somehow must keep the pace.
The machines are able to move fast, so we must increase our slow walk into a jog and perhaps a sprint. Preferably while adding more weight into our backpacks, and as you say, more sounds in our ears.
We also need to track every step we take, every calory we consume and log every minute into neat calendars that will tell us everything about ourselves and more (if we pay the $0.99 to disable the ads, of course).
Oleg! I’ve been thinking about this a lot. One resolution I made for the new year is no podcasts until after lunch.
I always take a long walk after lunch and some days I’m torn between headphones free or podcast. Today I split the difference. The headphones off half was definitely more fun. But sometimes I just want to get some exercise and a break from my own thoughts. Or there’s a podcast in the cue with a hot topic that I literally can’t wait to listen to. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m trying to be intentional about it and not listen just as the default.
Hey Anne, when you say you split the difference, do you mean you wore only one earphone? :)
When it comes to podcasts today, I'm going through Adam Ragusea's backlog -- it's a show about food and cooking -- something I'm really interested in learning more about, not just in terms of facts but also in terms of techniques I can use in the kitchen.
I also listen to every Very Bad Wizards (philosophy/psychology with a lot of fun banter) and Decoding the Gurus (fun breakdowns of rhetoric used by secular gurus - from Gwyneth Paltrow to Elon Musk).
The other factor is this suspicion that while all the info on podcasts is interesting, everything they could possibly tell me and more is already inside me and I can tap into that only if I stop listening to nonsense podcasts!!!
Yes! There's definitely so much to be said for choosing to look approachable and "talk-to-able". Headphones have become visual shorthand for "don't interrupt me" - but what about shorthand for "hey, say hello!"? We need both. But I think, after these last few years of being wary or even afraid of strangers, we need to say hi more often.
(This is a really interesting topic. How can you help generate enough curiosity in a stranger that they make the effort to say hi? One trick I learned as a travel writer in new places: hold up a paper map in the middle of the street and look really confused. Bonus points awarded if you're obviously holding it the wrong way round. You will be virtually guaranteed to have someone approach you and offer to help, which is a great way to break the ice!)
As a dog-owner, I can attest that walking a dog makes one look quite approachable, unless they look very grumpy. Generally speaking, "doing" something outside that's more than just minding your business (exercise, photography, hiking in the woods) makes you more approachable as well. Studying your map falls into that category as well!
Love this question and great suggestions Oleg!
Darn it, great 'Blade Runner' ending there!
You made a nice firm snowball of this important thing that is... ruining us all.
I think about this a lot. How things are speeding up, and we humans somehow must keep the pace.
The machines are able to move fast, so we must increase our slow walk into a jog and perhaps a sprint. Preferably while adding more weight into our backpacks, and as you say, more sounds in our ears.
We also need to track every step we take, every calory we consume and log every minute into neat calendars that will tell us everything about ourselves and more (if we pay the $0.99 to disable the ads, of course).
I do often find myself less "fulfilled" by outings in headphones. Great reminder for the New Year :)
This is brilliant and mesmerizing. Well done.
Great 'Blade Runner' reference, too! :D
That's the ticket, having conversations at 1x speed, paying attention to each other, and what's going on around us.
Oleg! I’ve been thinking about this a lot. One resolution I made for the new year is no podcasts until after lunch.
I always take a long walk after lunch and some days I’m torn between headphones free or podcast. Today I split the difference. The headphones off half was definitely more fun. But sometimes I just want to get some exercise and a break from my own thoughts. Or there’s a podcast in the cue with a hot topic that I literally can’t wait to listen to. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m trying to be intentional about it and not listen just as the default.
Curious what your favorite pods are?
Hey Anne, when you say you split the difference, do you mean you wore only one earphone? :)
When it comes to podcasts today, I'm going through Adam Ragusea's backlog -- it's a show about food and cooking -- something I'm really interested in learning more about, not just in terms of facts but also in terms of techniques I can use in the kitchen.
I also listen to every Very Bad Wizards (philosophy/psychology with a lot of fun banter) and Decoding the Gurus (fun breakdowns of rhetoric used by secular gurus - from Gwyneth Paltrow to Elon Musk).
What about you?
Oh these all sound like fun! I will have to get back to you with my list of true reccos. I'm trying to edit them down for myself!
The other factor is this suspicion that while all the info on podcasts is interesting, everything they could possibly tell me and more is already inside me and I can tap into that only if I stop listening to nonsense podcasts!!!
🤌